The Bounty
by Lady Paprika
Summary: I watch them for a moment, regret withering my smile away. I'm strong, but once in awhile when I witness this sort of thing I'm allowed to lean back a little into the darkness. Because I once thought I knew a love like that for a very short time; pure, naive, free. But for me, love is never pure and free. It's something else entirely. For SuperSmashGirlBB's Bittersweet Contest.
1. A Warning Sign

**Chapter 1: A Warning Sign**

* * *

He leans back heavily in his luxurious, leather chair and puts his booted feet on the table, smiling at me, as if he's the one in charge. "So, you decided to come."

Warily, I stare back in the dimly lit office. I'm not sure if it was wise coming here. The man in front of me is, after all a known thief and that smile of his is calculating, shrewd. Here's a man who knows how to intimidate his opponent, and he's using those skills on _me_. But I'm not here to be his opponent. I say nothing, but I look back into his eyes steadfastly.

He pushes a sack of gold towards me. "I assume then you'll be taking on my little assignment? I assure you, you'll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. This is only a little taste, honey."

"I'm not interested in money, and I'm not your honey," I cut in for the first time. I lean forward, putting one hand on the table to assert myself. The other is placed on my holster situated on my hip, just in case negotiations go bad. You can never be too careful, after all. "You _know_ what I'm after."

Samurai Goroh strokes his chin, still smiling calmly. "Ah yes," he says. Then he takes his feet off the table and also leans forward to increase the pressure of his eyes. "I will give you the information as long as you do what I ask."

I wait for his terms. I will not ask, beg for them. I want to make it perfectly clear that _I'm _the one in control. Even though I'm not. How can I be, when I'm not even sure I'll get what I'm promised? "How do I know you even have the information?"

Goroh chuckles. "You don't, my dear. But," he adds. "You know that people who are involved in the underworld know certain things that people of honorable status such as you don't."

It's risky, but I've got no other leads, and Samurai Goroh is my closest bet to one. I may not like him, as he's one of the most notorious thieves in the galaxy, but I've put up with worse. I doubt Goroh's ever even killed a person. His unofficial motto is, after all, "Steal, but never kill." Which is probably why he hired me to do his dirty work. Coward.

"So my dear, Samus Aran. I've heard you are without a doubt the best bounty hunter. I hope the rumors are true because you're going to be hunting down somebody who I've found has been eluding my capture for a very long time. He can be dangerous."

"And who would that be?" I ask carelessly.

In response, Samurai Goroh takes a large manila envelope and slides it across the desk. I catch it. "Captain Falcon. His real name is Douglas Jay Falcon. You've heard of him, I presume."

Yes, I have. We've both competed in the Smash Tournament that's held every year, but I've never had a chance to fight against or with him on Team Battles and I know very little of him, seeing as how I don't spend a lot of time with the Smashers I hardly get to know. I have heard that he's a very famous racer. "I've heard things, met him once before about five years back. But I don't know a lot about him to know why he'd be dangerous."

Goroh's smile is still etched on his face. "Yes, that's partly the reason why I picked you for the assignment. This year, the Smash Team Tournament will be popular, as it always is. And guess who will be your partner this year?"

Captain Falcon, obviously. "So you want me to get this over with quickly, right?"

"No, quite the contrary. You must kill him after the Tournament is over, otherwise suspicion will arise that it was a Smasher who'd done it and you'll be a suspect. I'd rather not that happen. But during this time that you'll be fighting together, you must get to know him, find out his strategies, make him let his guard down around you. Make him suspect it was never you, until he's already dead. Are you up for the assignment?"

I breathe in. This was easier than I thought it'd be. I have the chance to take Captain Falcon out a lot easier than other bounties who go into deep hiding. Captain Falcon will be right under my nose. I don't like murdering innocent people, but I can't pass up the chance for the information I so desperately crave.

_"Go, Samus!"_

_"But what about you?"_

_"I'll be fine, just go! Save yourself!"_

In my mind's eye, I can see it clearly, even though it happened almost two decades ago. I focus my eyes on the man in front of me, nod and say, "I won't let you down."

* * *

But tailing Captain Falcon proves boring. For one, he's just a normal man. I've been tailing him for two weeks now (Not thoroughly), gone through all public records, and even his house, where I gave a cursory glance. Nothing suggests that he's anything extraordinary.

On record, I know that Falcon just recently turned 37 years old which is about 11 years older than I. His occupations are now being a racer, but before he dabbled in bounty hunting such as myself. There's not a lot of information here about his bounty hunting days though, so I can't determine how good he is at his job. It sounds arrogant, but I doubt he's as good as me.

Off record, his breakfast is usually a bagel with an onion and chive schmear, and prefers _The Nintendo Gazette_ over _Mute City Herald_. This probably means he's a Libertarian, but most certainly not a Conservative. Lunch usually consists of some sort of lean meat. Once a week he has fish. I realize he eats at only high class restaurants, and he's conscious of what he eats which is puzzling to me at first. You don't need to be in great shape to race. He's into black and white movies (He watches these on his own, when he thinks nobody is looking) and all of his... Er... Adult DVD collections feature blue eyed, blonde girls._  
_

Consequently, he ends up taking a lot of blonde girls out as well. He treats them to expensive restaurants, or high end clubs, or some other wealthy affairs before they spend the whole night at his house. But I realize, they are all different girls and they never come back after the one night stand. So he's not serious about any one specific girl. He's only in it for the sex. He races a lot on his downtime, and it seems his main obsession is cars. I also watch a few of his practice races, and while I admit he's pretty good at what he does, he's also quite reckless when he drives. He relies more on instinct, than he does on logic, which is dangerous in this sort of competition.

He's a a typical boy. I yawn. What did Goroh find so challenging about this man?

The day I leave to Smash Headquarters, I've pretty much worked out most of Captain Falcon's routine and I think it'll be cake to take him down.

But he's not due to Smash Headquarters for another week, so I begin to get myself acquainted around the area. The headquarters look more like a condo building than anything else. Each condo houses up to four people, but since there are only three girls in the tournament this year, it looks like my only roommates will be Peach and Zelda, both princesses with different backgrounds than I.

That's not to say I _hate_ my roommates. We get along pretty well and though I prefer having my own condo, there are times when I enjoy their company more than just having the whole space to myself.

"I can't believe there are no new girl Smashers this year!" Peach exclaims throwing her hands up dramatically, beginning a conversation. "I thought for sure that Krystal was going to get in but it seems there was only one more slot for a character from the Lylat System and Wolf took it before she did!"

"That's a shame," Zelda agrees, though in a more subdued manner. She's at the kitchen, making Moroccan tea for the three of us. "But at least we all know we're not going to get into any roommate problems this year." She smiles at us and I return it. Peach, on the other hand scowls, not entirely placated.

I change the subject before she can further pursue the subject. "So uh, do you guys know how teams are going to be like this year?" The first Team Tournament I was in, my partner was Mario, and he was agreeable enough though his work ethic was far too taxing on my health. The second and third were both taken by Pikachu. The fourth time, I was paired up with Roy and we actually placed third. He ended up leaving back to his country which was sad. He was a great friend to have around. This year, I already knew my teammate was Captain Falcon, but nobody is officially supposed to know until everybody's arrived.

Zelda shakes her head in worry. "I hope I get somebody good."

Peach grins slyly at her. "Somebody good, or somebody _Link_? Eh?"

"Peach! Would you stop that?!" But Zelda's blushing furiously, and she spills some tea on the countertop. It's no secret that Zelda loves Link. But she's too shy to tell him her feelings. Likewise, it seems like Link hasn't noticed her feelings, or he probably doesn't care much for Zelda. To be honest, Link seems to be interested in Ilia, some girl he knows back home.

Peach is singing her own idea of, "Zelda and Link, Sittin' in a Tree," when my XCommunicator begins to bleep. Each Smasher gets a wristwatch that acts as a translator, and a smartphone among other useful things.

Looking at caller ID, I frown. It's Samurai Goroh. I excuse myself from my friends and go outside the small balcony we have to take the call. "Yes?"

"Ah, Aran. Glad to see you've settled in. I've just received word that Captain Falcon left early for Headquarters. He's due to arrive tonight, not next week as we previously thought. I would encourage you to resume your observation as early as possible."

I'm a little annoyed. "I only just got here," I protest. "And the Tournament is going to last for two months! There'll be plenty of observation in that time."

Goroh's voice changes from sweet and syrupy to clipped and curt. "May I remind you who your employer is Samus?" This does nothing to ease my irritation, but I don't challenge him. Instead I remain silent. "Believe me, you'll want to do things right. You may not think it now, but Captain Falcon is a dangerous person with a dangerous past. Should you fail your assignment, you will not only face my wrath, but you personally will also wish you'd never failed it." The communication link is severed and I'm glancing blankly at the communicator.

What did he mean by that?

I glance at the skies trying to make sense of our conversation, before heading back in to unpack my belongings. This doesn't take too long as I haven't brought much. Most of the stuff I've brought are laptops, cameras, stuff like that. I've left aside a couple of nondescript outfits that only take up two drawers. I also have four formalwear outfits as well that I've hung up in my mini closet. One for the welcoming dinner, one for the dinner announcing the winners, one for the Red Carpet event, in which we greet our fans, and one just in case. You never know.

In the meantime, I help Peach unpack. It seems she brought her whole closet with her but that's not the case. "I knew I packed too lightly!" she moans. She ends up having to borrow some of my drawers and Zelda's.

We're still unpacking by the time dinner arrives. Zelda's stomach emits a loud growl and she blushes, clutching her waist. "I think we should eat," she says. We all agree and head down the stairs to the dining hall. This will be the first time I get to glimpse Captain Falcon up close.

It's strange, I think, as I look up at the stars that are beginning to light up in anticipation. The dining hall is in a separate place from the building where our rooms are so we get a taste of the night air. This will be the first time I've ever paid any sort of attention to Captain Falcon during the tournament. I'd never cared before. I spent most of my time with Peach and Zelda and they would gush over Marth, Ike, Roy or Link. But never Captain Falcon.

We enter the premises and a delicious scent wafts up our nostrils. We quickly hurry over to grab our food before seating ourselves. Even though I've kept a steady lookout, I'm disappointed to find that he's not here. Maybe Goroh was misinformed. Maybe he really is coming next week.

"You seem jumpy," Peach comments through a bite of her mushroom pizza.

I do? That's not like me at all. What is there to be so nervous about? Maybe it's Samurai Goroh's phone call that's set me on edge. Or maybe it's because I'm starting to realize how stupid and rash I was for accepting Samurai Goroh's offer so quickly. Even if I don't know Captain Falcon well, it goes against my moral code of doing the right thing. Captain Falcon, as far as I know from public records, is innocent. His death would be mourned by many.

I also haven't considered the thought of getting caught. If it were to get out that it was me who killed him, being banished from Smash Tournaments would be the least of my worries. I couldn't even begin to comprehend how Zelda and Peach would react to the news that I killed a fellow Smasher.

I finish my dinner earlier than Zelda and Peach who insist on taking ladylike bites and dainty sips of water. Impatient, I tell them I'm heading back to our room and they bid me a goodnight.

I'm outdoors again, and I look up at the stars again, and they seem to erase my doubts. My whole life and reputation and relationships might be on the line, but the information Samurai Goroh has is far more important to me than any of these things. I _need _to find out about the past.

About Ridley. About my parents.

My eyes are brought back down and with a start I realize my target is right ahead of me. I've memorized how Captain Falcon looks like from far away, after weeks of tailing him. So he really is here, then. He's walking in a seemingly relaxed position with his arms clasped behind his back. With the moonlight as my primary source of life, I am suddenly struck by how masculine and mature his figure is compared to Marth's, Link's or Roy's. He has big shoulders, a broad chest that tapers down to a narrow waist and strong legs that I know can kick harder than most Smashers.

I make my steps lighter, so that he doesn't know I'm behind him. The way he hasn't paused and none of his muscles have stiffened shows that he probably doesn't think he's being followed.

Encouraged, I quicken my pace, making sure all the while that my footsteps are as soundless as a leaf landing on the concrete. I swear, if my XCommunicator goes off at this time...

A breeze blows from behind me, and my hair which has been worn down today, blows over my shoulders, onto my cheeks and obscures my vision for a couple of seconds. Curses! Why didn't I remember to put my hair up in a ponytail today? I'm gathering my hair to do just that, but suddenly I realize that Captain Falcon is no longer in my line of vision.

Freezing, I scan the area quickly, but I can confirm that he's not in my direct line of vision. So where is he? It would be ridiculous if he were hiding in the bushes. I would have heard the rustle of leaves.

Right?

Feeling absurdly panicky, I finish tying my hair up and begin to walk towards a particularly shadowy area with a lot of bushes. I crouch, peering into the darkness, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the even darker area.

I comfort myself by lightly touching the whip at my side. Was this what Samurai Goroh meant, that Captain Falcon was sneaky? Where was he?!

My answer comes quickly in the form of a low, amused voice at my ear, right behind me. "So, what are we looking for?"


	2. Ballroom Blitz

**Chapter 2: Ballroom Blitz**

* * *

"So, what are we looking for?"

As soon as I feel his warm breath on my ear, my body automatically goes on autopilot. My hand at my whip yanks it out of its belt and slashes at where Captain Falcon should be. I hear a satisfying _crack!_ as it connects with some body part and I hear him grunt in pain as he hits the floor.

Or at least, I think he hits the floor. When I spin around to see what's happened, I discover a little too late that he's neatly rolled away and he has the end of my whip in one hand. With surprising force he yanks it out of my grasp and throws it away. It spins away to the bushes. "What the hell?" he demands.

I realize how this must look. "You scared me!" I blurt. This is probably the first time I've gotten to look at Captain Falcon up close and really paid attention.

He's far from how Marth looks. He doesn't have that princely graceful look to him. He's not like Link either, with his boy-next-door friendliness and charm. No, what Captain Falcon is, is a _man._ He's got a strong jaw, an aquiline nose, and stands even taller than I do. His dark brown hair is cut short so that I can see his whole face. Most intriguing is the small scar he's got running along his right eyebrow. He's handsome, but not in that classic Marth, Link, Ike, Roy way. It's more like that Earth actor, Daniel Craig. He'd be intimidating too, but his dark eyes always look like they're perpetually smiling with warmth.

Except for now. Now they just look irritated. "How did I scare you?"

"You snuck up behind me!"

He opens his mouth, closes it. I'm suddenly aware of how stupid I sound; I was after all, sneaking up on him. But he couldn't know that.

Could he?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he apologizes. "I guess I'd be scared too if somebody crept up on me at night." He gestures around us as if to prove his point.

I sigh. "It's fine." But it's not. My heart is still pounding at what happened. How had he managed to sneak up on me so quickly? To distract myself, I walk towards the bushes where he'd thrown my whip. He follows me.

"You're Samus Aran, right? I don't think I've talked to you much this tournament. In fact, I think this is the first time I've seen you without that helmet on."

I raise my eyebrows but don't comment. It's true that during the earlier years of the Smash Tournament, I usually walked around in my armor. I didn't want people treating me differently because of my gender. But once Peach and Zelda joined, the secret was out when it was announced that I'd be rooming with them, and since I've been out of my armor more and more lately. Never in matches though. "Yeah. And you must be Captain Falcon?"

"Is there any other name?" he asks, smiling. His teeth are extremely white. He finally locates my whip, hands it to me. I loop it and fit it on my belt.

"Thanks," I say curtly. It's not a good idea to fraternize with the target. Even if Samurai Goroh wants me to get friendly with Falcon, I don't want to rush into this. Going too fast could be dangerous and compromise the mission.

"So, any idea who your partner will be for Team Tournament?" He's following me to the building, much to my dismay.

Yes. _You._

"I haven't the faintest idea," I respond shortly. "We're not supposed to know until everybody's arrived."

"Yeah, yeah, those are the rules," he responds, casually running a hand along his jaw line. "But it's still fun to theorize. Last year, I was teamed up with Donkey Kong. It was a disaster. I think we were out in round 1. That's never happened to me before. I usually stick around 'til one of the last rounds."

Is he bragging? I have no idea. I give him a short smile as we reach our building. "Well, I guess I'll see you around then," I say as a form of dismissal.

"Yeah," he says. As I turn to walk away he calls out to me again. "Oh and Samus?"

I turn around questioningly.

"You should keep your hair down. You look nicer like that."

* * *

"He was totally hitting on you!" Peach calls out, examining her reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror. I've just finished telling Zelda and Peach what happened.

"It does seem that way," Zelda admitted, as she changes into a white, loose nightgown.

"That's impossible! I'm not even his type!" I exclaim, blushing a furious red. Wait, why am I blushing, again?

Peach walks out of the bathroom wearing a matching pink tank top and booty shorts. There's green paste all over her face, and she's wearing a headband that separates her bangs from her face. Her eyebrow is raised suspiciously. "How would you know what his type is?"

Crap. How _would_ I know? I didn't know until a couple of weeks ago. I say as smooth as I can, "I don't. But it just seems like I'm not..." I think back to all the girls that I saw spending the night with Falcon and then I realize maybe I _am_. Blonde, blue eyed, C-Cup and above were his type. And that's exactly what I am.

But all of those girls were also rich and pampered. They were, in short, like Peach. Minus the gigantic heart, and the powerful backhand that comes in handy when you're trying to hit somebody with a golf club, tennis racket or frying pan.

"Oh Sam... Let me tell you something. Gorgeous is everybody's type," Peach responds. "And that's what you are."

I snort. I can't help it. It sounds much like a pick up line, and plus, I hardly ever get hit on.

Zelda rushes in to explain, "The only reason why you don't seem to attract as much attention as we do is because well..." She trails off.

"You can be intimidating," Peach finishes for her. "I mean, guys feel attracted to girls who need saving."

I don't say anything to that. It sounds vaguely sexist, on both genders. Zelda must see what I'm thinking on my face because she adds, "What Peach means is that guys like seeing a girl's walls go down. They want to see vulnerability. It gives you a new dimension."

A new dimension, huh? But as the lights go off and I stretch out in the darkness I think about myself and my dimensions. It's true, so many people think I'm this stoic bounty hunter. Never talks, just does her job. I guess that's because I am.

I punch my pillow into a comfortable position a little more aggressively than intended. Why should I be a damsel in distress anyway? The last time I was one of those nobody saved me. Nobody bothered to save the rest of my planet. If only I could remember what happened that night...

Whatever happened, I will always be ready for a fight. I won't be weak or vulnerable, and if that means that I can't attract any men, then so be it. I prefer being the savior.

* * *

Three days pass before the Team list is shown for the rest of the Smashers. It's that morning that Peach awakens me with a shove off the bed. "Ow!" I mumble, rubbing my head sleepily.

"Come on! Don't you want to know who your partner is? This could determine how the rest of the tournament unfolds!"

"What about Zelda?" I ask, yawning. "Where is she?"

"She's already awake!"

With the (annoying) help of Peach, I somehow find myself in a black camisole, a pair of worn out jeans and a scarf wrapped around my neck. Peach hardly gives me time to eat, choosing to drag me out the door with half a bagel. Zelda shoots me an apologetic look as she too is dragged out. But unlike my ruffled appearance, Zelda looks immaculate as if she'd spent an hour grooming herself. Not a hair is out of place.

We march towards the Greeting Hall where the list is posted and there's already a small crowd there. Link is on the outside, desperately trying to get more inside.

"Link!" Zelda calls out, her whole face lighting up upon spotting the Hero of Time. Now it suddenly becomes clear why Zelda looks polished. Link turns to the sound of her voice and smiles distractedly. "Have you seen who your partner is yet?" she asks breathlessly.

"No," Link responds ruefully. "Not yet."

"Wouldn't it be something if we were in a team?" Zelda asks breathlessly. Peach mimes shooting herself in the temple, but this action goes unnoticed by either elf.

"Yeah, it would really be something," he responds. But it looks as if he's hardly paying attention to her; he's too busy trying to fight the crowd. We watch him disappear and then out of nowhere Marth emerges from it looking extremely pleased.

"Hey Zelda, guess what? You and I have been put in a team!"

Zelda's face falls a little as if to say, "So it wasn't Link after all," but then a second later she smiles charmingly and says with genuine happiness, "I'm sure we'll make a great team!"

"What about me? Did you see who my team mate was?" Peach demands. When Marth shrugs, she begins to elbow her way into the crowd, threatening any bystanders in her way with her frying pan.

"Aren't you curious to see who you're battling with?" Zelda asks me. I shrug. To be honest, even if I didn't know that Captain Falcon would be my partner, I wouldn't be all that enthusiastic about finding out my partner. I suspect Roy would be the best partner I ever had.

Zelda looks astonished; Usually everybody is anxious to find out their partners. It's pretty weird that I don't. But before she can say anything about my apathy, Captain Falcon emerges himself, grinning broadly.

"So Samus, we meet again."

Um, yeah, I guess we are meeting again. Why am I shy again? I struggle to find words but before I do, he speaks again.

"I'm glad you followed my advice."

Huh? I look at him questioningly, and he dips his head towards mine as if to tell me a great secret. I almost flinch at our closeness. If I sniffed hard, I'm sure I'd be able to smell him. How does Captain Falcon smell? _Ugh, Samus. Shut up!_ But now that I've thought it, it seems to only spread in my head like a fast spreading virus. "Your hair. It's down."

Oh. Suddenly it's very hot. "I..." I take a step away, and my head automatically becomes less hazy. I clear my throat. "I didn't have time to do my hair. I rolled out of bed this morning," I explain. As if that's a suitable explanation.

His mouth crooks into a wicked grin. "Your bed," he repeats. God, staring at that grin I have to wonder what he's thinking about. I mean, I _know _what he's thinking about, but instead of it repulsing me, as it should, it's strangely flattering. I'm not about to let him know that though.

"Is there a reason you're here, Captain?"

His mouth curves deeper, when I address him as Captain. "Oh yes," he says. His smile turns from dangerous to friendly in the blink of an eye. "I've come to inform you that well, we're partners. I'm sure we'll do great together."

His ending statement is drowned out by a furious, "What the hell!" It's Peach's voice and as we all turn to look at her stomping away from the crowd, I can already tell that her team mate is somebody very undesirable.

"It's a typo probably," she mutters angrily to herself. "There's no way in hell that _he _can be my team mate!"

"What are you going on about?" I ask patiently, trying and failing to get my mind off Falcon who stands a mere five feet away.

"_Wario _is what i'm going on about, Samus. Wario, is what I have to deal with for _two _months. Wario is my problem!"

Okay, maybe Peach wasn't overreacting.

* * *

The Welcoming Dinner is broadcast on television so there are a lot of cameras in the ballroom. I opt to wear a simple, strapless black gown with a slit on the side that goes up to my thigh. My hair is worn in a loose chignon (Take that, Captain Falcon!) and I'm wearing a simple diamond necklace.

"Ready?" Zelda asks me, as she finishes putting a tiara made of emeralds on her brown locks. She's curled them for this occasion. Her gown is made of a crinkly silk deep green, one strap and elbow length white gloves. The skirt poofs out, suggesting she has fitted an actual hoop underneath. She looks lovely.

"Yeah," I say, exhaling. I'm not used to wearing dresses, but its a necessity to dress up. "What about Peach?"

Zelda rolls her eyes indicating that Peach isn't ready yet. During this time, I excuse myself to the balcony and make a call to Samurai Goroh.

"Just calling to check in," I say casually.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's in motion," I say. "He's already scheduled a practice with me the very next day."

There's a chuckle from his end. "Well, I'm impressed, Aran. You work fast."

I laugh too, but I'm not sure why. The prospect of killing Falcon seems less desirable with every conversation we have. "Well, I have to go, I've got something to do."

"The Welcoming Ball?"

A chill creeps up my spine. He seems to know exactly what I'm doing, and that's unnerving. Before I can ask though, he says, "Well, I guess I should let you go! Good luck, Aran." He signs off.

Shutting my XCommunicator off for good, I walk inside the condo to see Peach wearing a lavender mermaid cut gown with one full sleeve. She also has on chandelier earrings and a diamond bracelet. Her hair is in a low side ponytail, which drapes over her naked shoulder and there is hair escaping that ponytail, artfully done. "Do I look okay?" she asks anxiously.

Even if she didn't, I would have lied and said she did because we're already a half hour late. Zelda and I grab her by the arms and drag her down to the ballroom. Around the entrance, there are a bunch of cameras that go crazy when they see us walk in.

"Zelda! Zelda! Any comment about the rumors going on with you and Marth, now that you're partnered with him?"

"Samus, is it true you're a lesbian?"

"Peach, is it true you cheated on Mario with Ike?"

"Smile for the camera!"

Paparazzi. I want to crack my head against a lamp post but instead I give a dewy smile and hold onto Zelda even tighter which makes them go wild.

"Zelda! What about Marth!"

"You know, you really shouldn't have done that," Zelda said in an undertone as Peach waves frantically at the photographers, her grin becoming wider by the second.

"What? I just spiked your popularity. You should be thanking me."

Zelda gives me a pained smile as we all enter the ballroom. Link and Marth come up to us and Marth says, "Shall we sit at a table, Zelda?"

Zelda looks surprised, but what's even more interesting the twinge of annoyance that washes over Link's face. "Oh, um, sure!" she responds. "I mean, it would be great if we could all sit together." She's completely oblivious to Link's frown a fact that does not go unnoticed by me. Or Peach apparently.

"Link, you look awful!" she trills, barely able to keep the smile off her face. Her manicured nails adjust the lone strap on her dress.

"I'm perfectly fine," he responds, his eyes darting over to Marth and Zelda who are both standing close to each other. "In fact," he continues in a louder voice. "I just finished speaking to Ilia."

Zelda smile freezes over her face. "That's nice," she manages to say. "What did Ilia say?"

I have to applaud Zelda for keeping her cool effortlessly.

We walk down to one of the tables, chatting as amiably as possible. Zelda seems to act icy towards Link, paying more attention to Marth. This doesn't seem to go over well to Link who fiddles with his XCommunicator the whole time, a frown playing over his face.

Once dinner is over, the tables are removed and the dance floor is set up. Link stands up, but Marth cuts in smoothly and asks Zelda for the first dance. She blushes prettily and takes his hand.

"They make a cute couple," Peach sighs, but her eyes are on Link, making sure that he's hearing every word he says.

"Yeah. Cute," Link grumbles. After a time, Mario asks Peach to dance and now it's only Link and I.

"Why are you so annoyed?"

"I'm not!" Link protests. "I just think Zelda should stop leading Marth on. And incidentally, she should be more careful about who she chooses to be interested in."

I raise an eyebrow. "You think she's leading Marth on? And what do you mean she needs to be more careful? I thought Marth was a nice guy."

Link rolls his blue eyes. "He _is_ a nice guy. Just not for her."

"Then who is?"

Link opens his mouth, closes it soundlessly. Before I can prompt him for an answer, Captain Falcon arrives, dressed in a three piece suit. I try not to ogle so much.

"Well, fancy meeting you here. Care for a dance?" He holds out a hand.

I turn to Link questioningly; I don't want him to stay here all alone but there seems to be a dark cloud looming over him. He's not paying attention so I take Captain Falcon's hand. "I don't really know how to dance," I mumble.

"Not a problem," he responds, winking. "I'm such a great dancer, that nobody will notice you c_an't_." Saying so, he draws me close so that we're almost standing chest to chest. He's got an arm around my waist and my hand in the other. He instructs me to put my free hand on his shoulder.

"What?" I ask, when I notice him staring at me.

He grins crookedly. "Nothing, I just... You look a lot better up close."

I blush.

"Even blushing."

I blush harder.

I step on his feet a couple of times, but after awhile I get the hang of it to pay attention to what I'm feeling. I'm certainly attracted to this guy, but I can't tell why. Maybe it's the confidence, or maybe it's the fact that he always says something that I don't know how to respond to.

"Stop looking at your feet," he says softly, when I look down yet again to see that my feet aren't about to stomp all over his. "Look at me."

And I do. Those warm brown eyes look so aged. And though there is so much kindness in them, there is also something else in there that gives him a new dimension. Years of anguish, maybe. I can't quite tell. I'm so close to him that I can see flecks of black within the brown. I could count the eyelashes are long. I can see the grooves in his lips...

"Ms. Aran, I presume? I've always been your biggest fan. I was wondering, could I trouble you for a dance?"

My insides freeze up. I jerk away from Captain Falcon's face, inches away from my own. I know that voice. I turn around.

Samurai Goroh.


	3. In Caelum Fero

**Chapter 3: In Caelum Fero**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Captain Falcon hisses. I'm wondering too as I study him, though I have a better idea. For once he's dressed neatly in a suit. Looking over Falcon's permanent record, I knew the two were rivals. Although Falcon always came out on top with each time they competed, it seemed as if he still disliked Goroh.

"Oh? You didn't hear?" His smile isn't pleasant. "I'm to play a part in your little Brawl." I'm assuming he's talking about a new item Master Hand decided to bring to the fray to spike popularity amongst our fans. He called them "Assist Trophies". I had to admit they were an intriguing idea.

Captain Falcon's grip on me is tightening unconsciously with his anger. I know he wants me to refuse yet I know that if I do, I'll pay for it later. So I prise Falcon's hand off my arm and say, as pleasantly as I can, "I'm sure it's fine. He's only a fan."

I allow Goroh to take me away. "What _are _you doing here?" I hiss under my breath as he begins to lead me. Because it's pretty risky, him showing his face here and talking to me. We're not supposed to know each other, after all.

Goroh is smiling charmingly but he threatens through his teeth, "You'd better act like you're happy to see me. Do something about your face or else..."

Not wanting to cause a scene, I force a bright smile onto my face. "Well, answer," I respond pleasantly, even though I'm seething inside. How dare he treat me like this?

Goroh's hand slips further down to my waist so that it's skimming my butt. Ugh. Gross. He smiles so that all his teeth show. "I just wanted to see how you're doing. And to remind you that you need to kill that man you almost just kissed."

My mouth almost drops at his words. "I wasn't..." I stutter. I wasn't going to kiss him! But even now, I'm thinking about the way I'd been studying his lips right before Goroh had cut in and how close my face had been to his.

But I couldn't _want _to do that. Hell, it took me two years to get the courage to kiss Adam Malkovich. So it's not possible that I could, spur of the moment, want to kiss Captain Falcon. Right?

Evidently unaware of the battle being waged in my mind, Goroh continues, "Look Samus, frankly I don't care how you get Falcon to let his guard down around you. In fact, I _commend _you for using your body." Here he gropes my waist. His grip is powerful, but his hands are small and sweaty. Yuck.

"You had better stop that," I say, smiling through gritted teeth. "Otherwise, I'll blow your face off."

Goroh laughs as if I've just said something flattering. "Oh, Aran. We both know you wouldn't do that. Not when I have very valuable information that you need. I'm just warning you, yet again, not to fall for Falcon. Trust me, you will regret it."

I stare down at Goroh who is considerably shorter. Once again, he's making that strange statement. Or is it a threat? "I don't undertand what you mean. You wouldn't kill me, would you?" I ask smoothly. Goosebumps race down my arms. It hardly seems plausible that this man could take me down. I am far more powerful than him, but I also know that he is too clever for his own good.

"Samus, Samus. Contrary to your belief, _I _do not murder. I normally choose male bounty hunters to do my jobs for me. But for _this _specific assignment, I chose _you _and this isn't because of your winning reputation. No," he shakes his head, his smile turning strangely savage. "I chose you because you have something far more powerful in you that most don't have."

"And what would that be?" I ask as Goroh spins me away.

When I roll back into his arms he whispers into my ear as the song ends. His breath is cool when it tickles my ear. "Revenge."

I open my mouth to ask what he means by that but then he lets me go and Captain Falcon takes over from there.

"I hope he wasn't unpleasant towards you," Captain Falcon says, looking concerned.

"Not at all," I manage to say as I get lost in his arms again. "What's your deal with him?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

Falcon sighs as if he'd rather be talking about something else. Before I can change the subject he says, "Well, let's just say our rivalry started before we began racing. He's always been jealous of me, always trying to take away anything good that I have. Like any beautiful blonde I have at hand," he adds, edging in a smile. "Which is why he probably asked you to dance. I was afraid he was going to harass you, but he probably thought the better of it because it was such a public place."

I feel a guilty knot settle deep inside my stomach as Captain Falcon eases me away from his grasp so that the only way we're touching is by our clasped hands. He was concerned that Goroh would scare _me_ away on account of him, when I just had a discussion about his assassination. When I roll back into his arms, he continues, "I was always better at him at pretty much everything, and I guess that got to him."

Arrogant, he most certainly is. "Better at everything, huh? I doubt you could be more modest than him," I wryly remark aloud without thinking.

Falcon looks surprised at my comment. I cringe. That was an insult, right? He's going to hate me! But then he tips his head back slightly and laughs. I relax again. Phew. When he faces me again, it is full of admiration. "I don't know, Aran. But I never expect half the stuff you say out loud."

"That's a compliment, coming from such a smart, handsome, and perfect man," I say, sarcastically. But I can't help but grin as I say it. Flirting is definitely something new to me. I can't remember flirting with anyone, but Captain Falcon makes it so easy. He's just so playful, you can't resist the tease. Maybe that's what all those one night stands see in him. Besides the money, fame and rugged looks I suppose. Do they ever see this side of him? Suddenly, it matters if they do or not. These nameless blondes parade past my eyes and I wish I didn't know about them.

The smile in Captain Falcon's eyes dies away, replaced by something else a lot more serious. He places his arms on my back and lowers me down so low that the only things that are keeping me from falling are his arms around me, and my arms around him. For one absurdly heart stopping moment, I think he's going to kiss me, like they do in those black and white movies he likes so much. But instead his cheek comes against mine, warm and slightly rough from the stubble that threatens to penetrate his pores soon. I feel him murmur into my ear, "Not everybody's perfect."

* * *

Zelda's absently combing through her hair when Peach finally comes in, her hair looking thoroughly disheveled. "Long session with Mario?" I ask, smirking at how her lipstick is smudged and how that large red spot on her neck looks suspiciously like a hickey. It vaguely repulses me to see it, but not enough that I can't make her squirm.

Peach flushes a deep red, completely camouflaging the hickey. "Oh please," she says as smoothly as she can. "He's my boyfriend, so I'm allowed. The real question," she says as she begins to wipe her make up off her face, "Is if Captain Falcon is _yours_."

I was expecting that question. "Why would you ask that?"

Peach raises an eyebrow. "You were practically attached to him by the hip. Well, until that creepy short guy came. Who was he?"

"He said his name was Samurai Goroh."

Zelda frowns, her hairbrush coming to a halt. "I've heard of him. Nothing good either. He was always financing Ganondorf so that he could have enough money to buy his minions. This was all before he joined Brawl of course. What could he want with you?"

I feel bad for lying to my friends, but in this case, it's absolutely necessary. "He just wanted to get to know me. Apparently he's an Assist Trophy."

Zelda doesn't look entirely placated. Peach, on the other hand emerges from the bathroom, her face back in its green mask, looking like an alien.

"So, you and Captain Falcon, huh?" she waggles her eyebrows. "Are you an item or what? I could just see the chemistry oozing off of you!"

I think back to the dance. Despite everything, despite the fact that Captain Falcon is forbidden to want, I could chalk this up to one of the best nights I'd ever had. A small smile plays over Zelda's lips upon noticing my faraway expression. "You two _did_ seem to be hitting it off. He seems nice."

"I only met him!" I protest, but it's all I can do to keep the smile off my face. Was I wrong to fall so hard and fast? I frown at this thought.

There are a million reasons that it wasn't a good idea to feel this way about Falcon. The number one reason is of course that I'm going to have to kill him. But the other reason is the fact that he goes through women pretty fast. What I feel for Falcon isn't a one time hit, of that I am certain. There's something more.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Peach's voice slowly eases into my thoughts. "The guy is like, how many years older than you? 20?"

_11, but whose counting?_ I think vaguely. His age is the least of my worries.

Zelda sighs, "I think it's romantic! Besides, older men are just so much more mature." She twists her hands in her lap. "I bet _they _don't start noticing you once another good looking guy decides to sweep you off your feet." She scowls. I get the feeling that she's not talking about Falcon anymore.

As I settle into bed, I think back to Goroh's words. Revenge... Revenge for what? The only sort of revenge I have is against Ridley who managed to destroy my whole planet. It seemed odd that my revenge for Ridley would drive me for this mission.

Then again, every single time I go on a major mission, Ridley miraculously manages to pop up. And I have a feeling that this mission will impact me. Hell, it already is starting to...

_"Sammy, just take your mother and go!"_

_"I can't leave you!"_

_"Go! I'll be fine. But you need to hide. Can you do that, sweet heart?"_

_"I..."_

_The door smashes open and there he is..._

I wake with a start, my insides frozen like liquid ice.

My XCommunicator tells me it's 10:00 AM. Wow, I've overslept. As I rub my eyes wearily, warmth returns to my insides. It's daytime. Daytime is when you're busy enough not to dwell upon bad memories you obtained when you were five. Daytime is when the monsters go back into their closets.

The dreams come only when I'm thinking too hard right before bed. Whenever this happens, you can be sure that I'll be moving as slowly and as sluggishly as a snail. I hardly acknowledge my bedhead as I exit the door, running smack into Kirby who begins to shout obscenities when I stumble over him. I patiently wait for him to stop before I ask what he's doing outside my door.

"Captain Falcon is asking if you've forgotten about your practice match."

Oh, right. Crap. Despite a night's worth of obsession over the racer, I'd forgotten he'd scheduled our practice at 10 AM. My stomach emits a loud growl of protest when I head towards the practice stadium. I guess breakfast is going to have to wait.

I race towards the stadium and find that Falcon's already there, using a beam sword on Sandbag. The practice stadium is about the size of a football field and it's designed so that multiple Smashers can practice simultaneously. Right now though, nobody is on the field. It's only Falcon and I.

That's cool, I assure myself. It's no problem that Falcon and I are alone. Whatever. I saunter over, trying to ignore the fact that my heart is pounding furiously in my chest. Quiet, treacherous organ!

Falcon turns around at the sound of my footsteps and I make it a point to raise my chin higher looking as though I'm walking the runway. But all that is apparently for nothing. "You look like shit."

I do? I consciously finger-comb my hair which is all up in knots and wonder whether I have dark circles under my eyes or not. "I... kind of rolled out of..." I realize that I'm saying the exact same thing that I've said the other day. Captain Falcon grins broadly which prompts me to snap, "I'm sorry that I don't make it an effort to look good for you."

Falcon laughs. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Then he throws the beam sword aside and assumes a fighter's position, his hands balled into fists in front of him. "Fight me."

"I didn't bring my armor."

"That's okay. Fight me without it."

"I don't fight without my armor."

Falcon frowns. "Why not?"

I shrug. "The suit gives me power. Without it, I am nothing."

Falcon smirks. "You don't need a suit to make you a fighter. I don't need one."

I glance at his muscular physique. Easy for him to say. "You have that Falcon Punch move."

Falcon shrugs. "I don't rely on it that much. It's slow, unreliable unless I know my opponent won't move. I rely on my hands, legs and speed."

"Well, that's great for you," I say starting to grow slightly irritated. "You built your fighting style on your own strength and speed. I build mine off of my suit." I want the conversation to end and it does... But not in the way I hope.

Because a second later Falcon charges towards me and aims a punch at me. I only just dodge. "The hell?!"

He does a roundhouse kick and this time it connects with my stomach. A jolt of pain bolts through my body as I feel my breath getting sucked out of me. I groan in pain and feel myself fall on my back. I can see the light blue sky, wisps of white cloud painted onto its canvas, before I pass out completely.

When I come to, I'm in the same position and Falcon's kneeling over me. "You really are weak without your armor," he says, astonished. "We're going to have to work on that."

I cough. "What?" I'm indignant that he's called me weak. If I had my armor, this fight would be a lot more fair!

He places an arm around my neck and eases me up to a sitting position. The world tilts around me. I turn to look at his face, an anchor to the dizziness I'm experiencing. "If we want to win this year, you're going to have to know how to fight without that armor."

"Why?" I groan, clutching my stomach. It smarts when I touch it. It's probably going to bruise. Great.

"Because, it'll give you an edge. Think about how Zelda has Sheik to switch to or Red has three Pokemon to switch between. It's harder to fight an opponent that has a different move set and a different heaviness and speed."

My irritation quickly escalates when I realize fully what's happened. "You kicked me!" Yes, I'm quick on the uptake, I know. But I wrench myself away from his hold on me and end up crying out in pain as I try to stand up. The pain filters used in matches unfortunately don't apply in the practice stadium.

Captain Falcon helps me up. "I know," he apologizes. "I'm sorry. I misjudged my strength, it seems."

I glare at him. "Are you calling me weak?" I try to shrug his hands off me.

"No!" Falcon stammers. "Not at all." His grip on me turns tighter, the harder I fight against him.

"Let go of me!" I'm so angry, but I can't tell if it's because he kicked me or because I'm in so much pain just for one little kick. Maybe I _have _been depending too much on my armor lately. The Chozo did not bring me up to depend on it this much.

"I'll take you to the nurse's ward," Falcon insists.

I plant my palms on Falcon's chest and push him off. "Haven't you done enough already?" I shout. Right now, I just want to be away from him. Away from the fact that he probably thinks I'm weak. Away from the way he makes me feel so damn vulnerable. Away from that clueless face that will never understand that he is the antithesis for the all the walls that I've never let anybody inside.

Away from the fact that, in this very moment, I should want to slap, or injure him for what he did to me, accident or not, but even now I can't do it.

I can't kill Captain Falcon.

The realization hits me as I look at his eyes which are tinged with regret and a hint of apology. To him, I'm overreacting. But to me, I've just realized that it's become impossible for me to do what Goroh wants me to do.

So what do I do now?


	4. Sunburn

**Chapter 4: Sunburn**

* * *

For the next week, I lie low. Yeah, I'm aware that it's a cowardly thing to do, but I need to think. Now that I have made the conscious decision not to do what Goroh wants, I'm not sure how else to proceed. This is the first time I've decided not to carry out the job and I find myself wishing I could have pick a different client to go back on my word. I know Goroh will not accept my backing out so easily, which is also the reason I have been avoiding his frequent calls. Is it the right thing to do? Not really. I know I'll have to drop the bomb eventually.

In the meantime, I practice my fighting with Peach who often complains that Wario is too lazy to do any practice session with her. Surprisingly, she doesn't ask any more questions about Captain Falcon. She seems to understand that something is going on between us, but thankfully she doesn't question why I'm not practicing with him.

It's not as helpful as fighting with my actual partner, but it keeps me sharp. During the nights, I slip quietly away to practice without my suit. Despite my misgivings, Falcon was right; fighting without the armor does give me more options. Although I'm incredibly weak without my power suit, I'm far more faster and flexible. To counter my weakness, I decide to carry along a gun and my whip. Will I do well against a Smasher like this? Hard to tell.

Even though Falcon and I hardly speak after my outburst, it doesn't stop me from watching him from afar. I'm not even going to kill him anymore, and yet I find it hard to stop staring. Each day that comes with no talking makes my heart stutter in disappointment. Would things between us ever be salvaged to the way things were between us before?

My answer comes the the day our first battle is assigned; I know I can no longer avoid him. He seems to think the same thing too because right after breakfast, the day before our match against Jigglypuff and ROB, he corners me. Peach and Zelda flounce away to make some adjustments to their battling costumes. Judging from their expressions this is merely an excuse to give us privacy.

"Can I talk to you?" he asks, folding his arms and blocking my way out. Looking at him is like looking at the sun; I'm aware of how lovely he is, but I can't directly look him in the face.

But I know I can't avoid him forever, so I nod and he guides me out the cafeteria towards the garden in the back. I make sure to keep my face expressionless, but inside my stomach is in knots, though I'm not sure why. Should I tell him that I was about to kill him? I steal a glance at his face. It is lined with his past experiences, but other than that it remains impassive of what he's thinking about in the present.

He motions for me to take a seat on one of the benches and sits next to me once I'm settled. His hands twist in his lap for a moment, broad and calloused. The surface of his hand is torturous and I'm itching to run my hands over that surface, wondering how it feels. Finally he speaks, causing me to look up at his face. "I don't know what to say to you except that I'm really sorry, about what happened the other day."

_He's _sorry? I should be the one whose sorry. I should tell him about Goroh, but when I open my mouth to speak he holds up a hand to quiet me. "This week has been frustrating to me. I didn't want to talk to you earlier because I thought I'd give you some space. But when you stopped talking to me, I grew worried. That's never happened to me before." His voice is quiet and...

...Is he nervous? It sounds utterly foreign. "I... I _care _about you. And I know it sounds strange since we hardly know each other, but I've never had anyone speak to me like the way you do. You're not like any other girl I've known."

My eyes drop. _Yeah well, all the girls you know aren't torn between killing you and letting you live._

He sighs, tipping his head back so that his tanned skin is bathed in sunlight and closes his eyes as if it pains him to say these next words. "You're different. You always mean what you say." Wow, talk about heaping on the guilt. God, please stop it. "I realize I don't know you as well as some of the other Smashers but I guess what I'm trying to say is that... In same ways, I think I do. I feel like in a lot of ways, I can connect with you. And I want to get to know you more."

It is suddenly so hot, I can hardly breathe. It's like time has stopped and sped up at the same time. My heart beats fast, but I'm suddenly aware of all the intricate details around me. The sighs of the wind, the sound that dew makes when it slips off a leaf and hits the floor, shattering into smaller droplets. Everything becomes vague and crystal clear at the same time.

"I..." I swallow. Then I hear myself say, "I'd like that too, Captain."

An unadulterated grin splits into his hardened features, joyful and rapturous. "Please, call me Douglas."

* * *

Why didn't I tell him about Goroh? It's a question that, following the next couple of days becomes more and more distant to me. Goroh's calls become less frequent, until a month later they stop completely. Each day that I find myself spending more time with Douglas Jay Falcon and each glorious hour that I spend with him convinces me that I was right in making the decision in not carrying out the assassination.

I learn things about Douglas that I couldn't have purely through observation. I learn the difference when he smiles politely or when he smiles for real. Around me, it is always for real. I learn that, as a child he was abandoned, something that didn't show up in his public records (It was listed that he grew up in an orphanage so I assumed his parents died). When I tell him that my parents have passed away, I know he understands. He prefers cookie dough to actual cookies, and he plays with his hair when he's studying something hard.

I tell him the things that matter, but I don't tell him my whole life. I'm not ready to tell him about my nightmares, about how I'm the sole survivor of my home planet. I'm not ready to yet, but I know that someday, I definitely will. Maybe it will lead to some kind of closure about that day.

Our chemistry is undeniable, and it even shows on the battlefield. I have yet to fight in my zero suit, but each battle we fight is a cinch; we're always looking out for each other and most importantly we work as a true team. Not even Roy compares to the way we can seemingly read each other's minds.

Despite how amazing life is, Falcon has never made a move on me. He has yet to kiss me, which worries me. Am I misreading his signals?

"Maybe he's friend zoned you," Zelda says, when I tell my friends of my inner woes. She seems a lot more relaxed since losing in the second round. Much to Link's chagrin however, this hasn't stopped Zelda from spending loads of time with Marth. I have to wonder whether she's doing it to spite Link. She certainly keeps shooting him smug looks every time Marth comes around to hang out with her.

"Don't be ridiculous, Zel. Boys _never _friend zone," Peach snaps moodily. Surprisingly, Peach is still in the tournament, although every match that she's fought has ended in a sudden death. She blames this on Wario's sloppy work ethic, but looking at their matches I find that Wario does considerably well for somebody who hardly practices. Their only problem is that they never look out for each other. They fight as if they are fighting individually. Needless to say, Peach's temper has risen considerably with each victory. She feels as if it's entirely up to her to keep the team alive.

"Well then, what could it be?" Zelda asks defensively. Peach is about to respond, but a knock at our door interrupts her. Zelda gracefully leaps towards the door, opening it.

Imagine her shock when she finds out it's Link. "Oh... Link..." she says sounding unsure of herself.

Link folds his arms and demands, "Were you expecting somebody else?"

"Um... No," Zelda murmurs, not meeting his eye. "What did you want?"

Link peers past Zelda and sees Peach and I. His normally serene blue eyes look extremely agitated today, but he's been wearing that look every single time I catch him looking at Zelda. "Nothing, I was wondering if we could go someplace more private." He looks nervous.

Zelda's nervous. "Well uh, I don't know..."

"You should just stay here!" Peach calls out, smirking. "I mean, we're going to dissect your conversation thoroughly once Zelda comes back!"

Link looks sickened by the thought. He gives Zelda a pleading look so she sighs and leaves with him.

As soon as the door closes Peach chuckles, instantly cheerful."They're way too easy to manipulate." Then she rounds on me. "So, like I was saying. The Captain is definitely not friend zoning you."

"He's not?" I ask hopefully. Even though Peach is the youngest of our group, she's had the most experience with boys, having dated Marth, Ike, Roy, Red, and even a brief stint with Snake before finally going steady with Mario.

"Of course not," she responds. She taps her chin with her finger. "Actually, I'd say he's pretty dang interested in you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think he just doesn't want to rush into things. How many girlfriends has he had in the past?"

"Uh..." As to girlfriends, probably none. One-night stands? I didn't want to know _that_ colossal figure. "Well, I think he's more of a one night stand kind of person," I say.

Peach wrinkles her nose in disgust. "I hate men like that." Strange, considering she was the serial dater of the Brawlers at one point. "But," she continues. "Then this means he's definitely careful about you. He doesn't want to mess things up. Which means," she finishes with an evil grin. "You have him wrapped around your finger."

* * *

Zelda adamantly refuses to tell us about what Link had to say. "Can't I have just a little bit of privacy?" she asks, looking highly irate after an hour's worth of us trying to get the information out of her.

"Absolutely not," Peach responds, before she gets badly burned by Din's Fire. After that, we pester her no longer. I see her spending less time with Marth, though. Link looks happier about this, but I also see Zelda not spending as much time with Link as she used to, pre-Marth Era. I also see that Link is a lot more careful around Zelda, paying more attention to her, and treating her like a princess. Which, she is of course. Both of them have that decidedly cool, yet unsure atmosphere hovering over them which suggests they haven't worked out all their issues yet.

Peach and Wario lose in the semi finals, but somehow Douglas and I make it in the finals against Metaknight and Diddy Kong. There's a rush to place bets on who will win. The more cautious part of the audience are placing their bets on Metaknight and Diddy Kong - Both of whom fight extremely well on their own. The rest of the audience, the ones that love the underdog and the charisma surrounding us place their bets on us. Captain Falcon and I have never won a Team Tournament before, but we've also never been more our best.

This knowledge does nothing to assuage my nervousness. What if we lose? I seem to be the only one who thinks this; Falcon has been confident even the day before the match. Winning has never meant this much to me as it does now; I can practically taste it on my lips, it's deliciousness just out of my reach.

The hour before the match, we're both sitting in the room that takes us to Final Destination, a place only used for final matches. Falcon and I are waiting for the signal to sound. We're both dressed in our battle costumes, save for our helmets. They lay on either side of us.

My leg is jiggling impatiently. I want it over with but at the same time I'm going mad with nervousness. My stomach is in knots, and for once I'm not overly concerned about Falcon who is sitting in a relaxed position. What if we lose? _What if we lose?_

**What if we lose?!**

His hand goes on my thigh, making it still. "Relax," he says, a slow smile taking over his face.

My heart stops at his smile, then restarts even more forcefully. Once again, I'm struck by how his touch just makes me go crazy. "How?" I blurt. "This is as far as I've ever gotten to winning!"

The edges of Captain Falcon's mouth play upwards. "You'll do fine. I've never seen you fight as well as you do now. You're amazing."

I am?

Douglas continues, in a low, soothing voice, "Metaknight and Diddy Kong have nothing on us. We've been training hard, we work well together, we're the perfect team."

"We are?" If we are, then why haven't you kissed me yet? Do you mean the perfect team on the battlefield, or the perfect team in real life? I don't say these words aloud though.

"Of course," Douglas's eyes meet mine for the first time this whole hour. "Even if we lose, I still want you to know that you'll probably be the best partner I've ever had."

"Me too."

Douglas's hand slides away from my thigh to the top of my hand. I can't feel the texture of his skin, thanks to my armor, but I can feel the heat radiating off him. My heart speeds up erratically as he leans a little closer to me, his voice dropping as he gets closer into an almost whisper. "I didn't want to make a move on you this whole time because I didn't want to ruin our relationship. But now, I realize it doesn't matter. I," he says, his breath catching. He looks as nervous as I do, suddenly.

"I really like you Samus. I think it might even be more than that. I was going to wait to do this after we won, but..." he trails off, looks into my eyes one more time. There is an intensity that I've never known in there, coupled with the fact that he is unsure of himself. This last part makes him seem so vulnerable that I can't help but think about what Peach and Zelda said about vulnerability being an attractive quality.

They were right.

I can't wait anymore. Him showing fear to me is what makes me grab his face and place my mouth on his.

His mouth is soft yet hot, a stark contrast to the rest of his hardened features. His hands circle around my waist, dragging me close, and even though I can barely feel anything because of the armor, I still feel pleasure shooting up my spine which is only heightened when he slides his hands up to my face, brushing my hair aside as our kiss deepens. He kisses me over and over, and then he opens his mouth, and after a fraction of a second, I open mine as well but as soon as I'm about to explore his mouth the warning bell sounds, prompting us to break apart.

I'm slightly dazed and Falcon is panting, his cheeks flushed. Did that really just happen?

To cover the slow, deep flush that's starting to spread over my face, I put my helmet on and, I'm surprised that Falcon does the same. Is he also shy? I can't help but grin at that. We walk towards the teleporter.

"I guess we'll continue this later then, Captain?" I ask, unable to keep the coyness out of my voice. I'm so much more comfortable when my face is masked by my helmet.

"Yeah," Falcon's voice is still a little unsteady. "Samus?"

"Yeah?"

"Break a leg."

And with that, we're transported to Final Destination.

I watch as Metaknight and Diddy have their intros. I'm facing Metaknight, Falcon's facing Diddy. The announcer says something dramatic to amp up the audience which goes wild at our appearance. Then the music begins to play, but the only music I can hear is my pulse echoing through my ears, easing into a slow yet deep rhythm. I can't get that kiss out of my mind.

But then, the light flashes green, and I rush towards Metaknight, fighter instincts in full throttle.

I've never fought so well in my life. Every missile I launch, every hit I make is with more force and accuracy. But even though we're good, so is Diddy and Metaknight. I have never fought so hard in my life yet we all have three kills each. I need to do something about that.

As if Final Destination hears my thought, a Smash Ball appears right in front of my face and I manage to obtain it.

_Yes!_

This was the opening I've been waiting for. It'll take Metaknight and Diddy awhile to get used to Zero Suit Samus after I'm finished. So I unleash my Zero Laser, which automatically knocks out Diddy, but Metaknight manages to avoid the worst of it thanks to his superior floating abilities.

The audience gasps when they see me without the suit; Metaknight and Diddy look worried. They weren't anticipating this little roadbloack. I can feel Falcon grinning with pride.

Maybe we _can_ win. There's a minute left of the match, and Metaknight and Diddy are getting desperate to even out the odds. We're one kill ahead of them.

And then opportunity shines upon them. A Smash Ball appears and Metaknight manages to snag it. Not to be outdone, I grab an Assist Trophy and throw it into the air as Metaknight charges towards anyone he can throw his cloak over.

"Long time no see, huh, Aran?" The voice is sarcastic, cruel and vicious.

I spin around and find Samurai Goroh, his jaw angrily grinding down.

Just my luck. I grow pale upon seeing him, but I know he can't hurt me here. Especially since I was the one who threw the Assist Trophy.

He can't hurt me, right?

"What? Cat got your tongue?" He asks unsheathing his katana, slowly, deliberately. "Why haven't you been returning my calls? Have you been seeing another _man_?" his voice is jeering.

Oh, God. He knows. He knows about Falcon and I. This can't be happening.

I feel sick to my stomach, but I finally find my voice. "I meant to tell you this earlier, but I no longer work for you. I won't hurt innocent people for information. I can find out the information I seek through other means."_  
_

I can't see his eyes, but Goroh's smile twists sneeringly. "You little _bitch,_" he snarls, making me flinch. "You don't understand anything, do you?"

Understand what? My throat tightens and goes dry.

His smile is turning alarmingly vicious. He wants to see me suffer. "I didn't want to tell you this before, because I didn't want you to become emotionally compromised during the mission. It seems that now, I have no choice." He finishes unsheathing his sword. It glints in the dim lighting.

"Falcon is _playing _you."

What does he mean? This is probably just another trick to get me to work for him. But it won't work. I know Falcon, I know he's true by the way he looks at me, the way he touches me. There's no way I'm just another one night stand. "Yeah, okay," I respond sarcastically.

"It's true. He doesn't give a shit about you. You want to know how I know?" He rushes at me, and I flinch away, but he doesn't strike me with his sword. Instead he leans in close to my ear to give a blow far more deathly than a stab to the stomach. These next words hit me directly to my heart. "You want to know who really killed your parents that night? It sure as hell wasn't Ridley."_  
_

I freeze up, the blood draining from my face. I don't want him to continue anymore. I want to strangle Goroh to prevent him from ever uttering a single word in his life, but at the same time I want to throttle the truth out of him.

"It was your precious _Falcon._"

He whips away to find Diddy, unaware that I've fallen to my knees. Fallen to the sound of my hollow heartbeat.


	5. The Bounty

**Chapter 5: The Bounty**

* * *

We lose.

I don't know how it happens because everything after that sentence Goroh utters is just a blur. My mind is just filled with mindless buzzing.

My limbs have gone strangely rubbery since then. It could be my fault we've lost. In fact, it probably is.

A smile somehow winds up in my face, an automatic reaction, as I shake hands with Metaknight and Diddy, congratulating them. But my voice is not my own at all. Nobody seems to notice.

How could it be that the person who I'm staring at right now, the person who I thought was perfect, could also be the cause for the tragedies in my past? Captain Falcon mistakes my daze as disappointment for our loss. He presses his lips to my temple, telling me I did great. Even though I didn't. Even though it was my fault we lost. Or was it his?

I excuse myself to shower and change. I turn the water all the way to molten hot so that I can feel anything but this horrible icy numbness that's flooding inside me. But that's all I feel. That, and... well, nothing.

When I come out, Zelda and Peach are waiting for me with sympathetic looks on their faces. "Next year, Samus," Peach says, hugging me tightly.

They lead me to our condo where Peach and Zelda begin to chatter about the match and tomorrow's formal dinner ball, one of those rare times you can bring a date that isn't from Brawl. How can life still go on?

It doesn't. The doorbell rings and it's him. He's standing there, a monster masked by his perfection and beauty.

"Where did you go? I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time with me. Alone I mean."

No. I never want to see you again. Leave.

God yes, I want to see you. I want to hold you close to my arms so tight that I crush your heart and make you yield everything to me. I want you to feel pain, much like I'm feeling it now. I want to love you, but at the same time I want to destroy you.

I smile. "One second," I respond, my voice strangely normal.

I use the bathroom, go to my room, and fit an object into my back pocket.

As I reach his condo, I recognize, belatedly what the object is.

It is a gun.

* * *

I'm falling into nothing, a frigid, abstract, never ending black hole. As we walk to his condo, I try to remember what happened the day my parents died. The day I not only became an orphan, but also the day I became the sole survivor of my planet. As usual, I come up with nothing. The only time I can remember anything, if at all, is a fraction of a second of a memory when I'm asleep. And the most I can piece together of that chaotic day is when my father tells me to hide.

Captain Falcon says, "Wolf, Falco and Fox aren't here."

So we'll be alone. The seconds whisper by before he finally unlocks the door. When we enter, I take care to lock the door behind us.

He smiles; he thinks the reason why I've locked it is because I don't want anyone to interrupt us.

In a way, he's right.

His lips crash onto mine with such force that I fall onto the couch behind us, him on top of me. He seeks access to my mouth and I cave in vaguely wondering at how good it feels when he expertly explores my mouth with his tongue. For a moment, I forget about the confusion, the anger, and I respond. His mouth gradually slides away from my mouth as he begins to plant kisses along my jawline, along my neck. He sucks at my skin with increased pressure, the tip of his tongue brushing just so with the surface of my skin. I arch my neck back to give him more access.

I let out a sound that sounds like a sigh of sheer ecstasy. My hands grip the back of his head. _Just a little longer, make this moment last._ His hand skims down my thighs and with considerable force, he brings both of them up so that I can wrap them tight around his waist.

It's this action that snaps me back to reality. I feel the gun in my back pocket shift when I move my own hips.

No, things aren't right. I push his head back, and with a moan of protest, his lips move away from my collarbone as he stares at me in dazed confusion. The sound of his voice brings everything into clear focus.

"What is it, Sam?"

Don't call me that. Don't act like you care.

"I can't do this." I push him off with some difficulty. My voice is trembling, betraying the fact that I want to cry. That I am so lost.

"Did I do something wrong?" Concern laces his voice. "Are you still upset about losing?"

I'm finally shoved over the edge. How dare he act like he doesn't know? I laugh in what I'd hope would be a sarcastic laugh, but it just comes out sounding deranged. "Upset about losing? Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Losing my heart to a heartless bastard like you.

Falcon raises an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, _Captain_." He flinches at the amount of venom I inject in the last word. "Something happened." At this I look up to glare at him, just to see his reaction to what I'm about to say next. "Tell me, does the Planet K-2L ring any bells for you?"

The briefest look of recognition flits across his eyes, confirming my worst fears, before going strangely blank. "How did you come across that name? Was it Samurai Goroh?" he asks quietly.

"So, it's true then. You really a_re_ a merciless bastard," I spit out. He reaches for me, but I wrench myself away from his grasp and stand up, moving to the kitchen. As far away from him as I can get._  
_

"Samus, wait," he calls out, rising up from the couch and following me as well.

I choke out the only thing I can think of. The only question I can ask. "_How_?"

_How could you?_

He stumbles towards me, his eyes still unreadable, but I notice how the rest of his body is quaking.

"Don't come any closer!"

He pays no heed to this, so the moment he's within hitting range, I kick him in the jaw. He grunts in pain as he reels backward. "What the hell, Samus?" he pants, holding his jaw gingerly. His eyes, unfathomable before, harden into steel and he starts towards me again. "Aren't you going to tell me what this is about?"

I aim a punch at him, but this time, Falcon is ready. He grabs my fist before it can connect with his face and he doesn't let go when I try to pull it back. Instead he reels me in and catches my other arm that attempts to claw at his face. "This is about the planet you annihilated!" I scream, jerking back and forth, trying to get away from him and his deceptive eyes. I'm seeing red. All I want to do is break something so badly. His face, his spirit, anything.

He flinches again and in that moment of weakness, I free my hands and begin to back away while reaching into the back pocket of my flannel pants. When Falcon sees the gun, he bounds towards me, crashing into me. I feel my breath getting knocked out of me as I hit the floor. The gun skids away about ten feet before completely coming to a halt.

With Falcon straddling my hips, I realize that my only weapons are my hands. Captain Falcon could kill me now, but I'm not going down without a fight. As though he can read my mind, he traps both my wrists with one hand and pins them above my head. "You were going to kill me?" he asks quietly, his face hovering over mine. He sounds resigned as though he expects nothing less, but the knowledge still hurts.

It isn't fair. It's this tone that makes my heart feel like bursting. I stare at him fully for the first time since Goroh told me the truth. A second later, my eyes begin to burn and his face begins to blur. Hot tears slide down on either side of my face; I can't help it. I've lost. The anguish that plucks at my insides are a pain that I've never felt, marred further by the fact that I am so utterly confused, bewildered.

Betrayed.

"I wanted to tell you, Samus. I really did," he pleads, using his free, calloused hand to brush away my tears. "But I was afraid of what you might think of me. I wanted to tell you later... When I was more comfortable. I see that I have no choice now. If I let you up, would you at least listen to my story before you decide what to do with me?"

I want to shake my head no, but there is still a small part of me that wants to believe that he's human; that my heart wasn't so utterly deceived by this man.

It's this part that makes me nod once. He frees my hands and eases off me. I scoot away from him, curling up against the back of the couch, eyeing him warily.

He begins his tale.

* * *

"I told you before that I was abandoned as a child in the slums of Mute City. I couldn't survive on my own, and I was pretty close to dying when a group of Space Pirates found me. I wasn't aware of their bad reputation. All that mattered was that they were my source of food and shelter. They showed me kindness nobody else had on the streets. But I quickly learned that in order to keep getting food and shelter, I'd have to earn my keep. So I began to help them in small ways in their missions, like selling stolen goods, piloting their ships away from danger. I hardly knew right from wrong at the time; they always had a justification for doing what they did.

"When I was 16 they began to talk about K-2L. At first, they just wanted to rule it, for the planet's own good, they claimed. I didn't know until later that they just wanted to conquer it for all the precious metal that K-2L had. But they didn't expect K-2L to fight back. They wanted the planet though, so instead of backing off they began to talk about killing off the whole planet.

"I knew it wasn't ethical from the beginning; subconsciously, I always knew that the Space Pirates were a bad bunch. But I obeyed them anyway. I had nowhere else to go, and most of my close relationships were with them. So I obeyed them when they told me to help wipe out the planet's population."

"And so you did, didn't you?" I hiss.

He flinches. "Well," he mumbles. "Yeah, for the most part. I killed anybody who stood in my way. There was a family who hardly offered any resistance at all. The father begged for their lives, but I killed him anyway. There was blood on my hands, and I didn't have time to think. I pursued the mother and daughter too. The mother tried to defend her daughter, who was probably no more than 5 at the time, but she was no match for me. I shot her. Fifteen times, because for some reason I thought that by mutilating the corpse, it would look like she wasn't really human. Her daughter watched the whole thing without crying until she realized her mother was dead.

"When I raised the gun to complete the task, the girl placed her hand on my gun, weakly pushing it down. She stared at me with these blue eyes and I remembered how it felt like when _I _was her age. I'd made her like me. I'd made her parentless. I didn't want to do that to anyone. And it was with those eyes, that I felt like I couldn't kill anymore. I vomited on the spot, amid the girl's wails as she tried to revive her mother. It was the most worst thing I could ever witness in all my sixteen years of life. Her hands were covered in her mother's blood. I wanted to shoot her, to get her screams out of my mind for good, but in the end I decided to let her live. Before I left, I tried to undo some of the damage that I'd done. I wiped her memory clean so that she would never remember that day. Then, I told her to hide, before I left."

Evidently, he didn't do a good job. I still had nightmares of that particular day.

"Once K-2L was completely annihilated, I left the Space Pirates. I never wanted to do that again. I became a bounty hunter for the first couple of years of my life in an attempt to wash the blood off my hands but I finally learned my lesson; I couldn't erase blood with more blood. So I decided to make amends some other way. I took up racing and then I made the conscious decision to find that girl I spared, maybe find some closure by seeing how she was doing. I figured she would be in her twenties, blonde and blue eyed so I began to date any woman that matched that description that I could find because there was no information about any survivor on K-2L. I figured she'd be traumatized, weak. It became an obsession of mine yet I still haven't found her."

So that was what all those girls were for. It was just him trying to seduce the information out of them, and he had nearly succeeded with me. But he didn't know that I was the one. "Yes, you did," I whisper.

"What?"

I'm looking down, refusing to meet his eyes, my hair slipping down my shoulders. Irrationally, I think back to my first impression of him. Boring, a player, old, onion and chive schmear, somebody who preferred my hair down. These things which mattered so much to me before, don't matter at all.

I let loose a pent-up breath. "You found her."

Captain Falcon looks up, his eyes tightening on me.

"She's traumatized, I can tell you that." I say it calmly. Like I don't care. I'm holding his gaze with mine. "But she is _not_ weak. She's spent all her life tirelessly tracking down the Space Pirates and Ridley because she was told that Ridley was the cause of her planet's destruction. So she got strong to seek revenge. The past never leaves her though. She still has nightmares and wonders why she doesn't remember that day. I guess now she knows."

He gets it. He gets that _I'm_ the one he's been searching for. A myriad of emotions flit through his eyes. He reaches back grabbing the gun, but instead of aiming it at me, he slides it towards me. It stops at my feet.

"So," he says tremulously. His voice is so soft, I could fall through it. "What is she going to do now?"

In response, I pick up the gun. I walk over to him, not looking into his eyes. "Get on your knees, with your back facing towards me." I instruct. "And put your hands behind your neck."

He does. I can no longer see his face from where I stand. So much the better. I pull the catch on the gun and aim.

A tear squeezes out of my eyelid of its own accord when he says, "Goodbye Samus," with as much regret, love, anguish as he can muster. I look at the back of his head. He knows his fate; it is why he's handed me the gun with no fight.

"Goodbye."

I fire the gun.


	6. Epilogue: Wanderlust

**Epilogue: Wanderlust**

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask for a third time, looking up at him. We're swaying to the rhythm of the slow music, to the dim lighting, to the murmured chatter.

He smiles good-naturedly, readjusting his hands around my waist. "Don't worry about it, Samus. Did I mention how _stunning_ you look tonight?"

"You could stand to mention it a couple more times," I say, grinning as we circle. It is the final Championship Ball before we all go home, so there is that lingering feeling of an almost goodbye. Everybody is dressed up in their finest. And once again, I've found myself on the dance floor with a man. Before this tournament, I hardly ever found myself on the dance floor.

Marth smiles, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he looks down at me. "There, I made you smile! Now you look beautiful."

His comment doesn't make me blush, but my smile stays on my face, appreciating the compliment. "Don't you feel bad that Zelda ended up not choosing you though?" I press. It's easier to hear about other people's problems, rather than dwelling on my own.

My eyes sweep across the floor, to find the friend in question. I look past Snake, Ike, both dancing with beautiful young women before settling on a woman who I think is Zelda due to her brown hair swept up in an up do. But I realize it isn't her when she turns around. Where is she?

Marth shrugs, trying to look nonchalant. "If it wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. She told me that it wouldn't be fair on me if she decided to stay. She said she'd always have feelings for Link. And then she said something about their destinies entwining so closely that it was impossible for her to choose somebody else." He tries to make it look like it doesn't affect him, but I can see that he's been hurt at least superficially. Looking at him more deeply, I realize that he's not hurt at all at the fact that she didn't return his feelings; he's more hurt that she chose somebody else over him. Well, I suppose he'll get over it quickly, if the only thing that is wounded is his pride._  
_

I finally locate Zelda who's slow dancing with Link, her brown locks tied up in an elaborate braided bun. They both are glowing in happiness. My gaze shifts towards Peach who has found a dark corner with Mario. Ugh... PDA. Gross. I quickly avert my gaze.

I told Zelda and Peach what happened afterward. I felt like they needed to know the truth. Ever since then, they've been always at my side even making Marth take me to the dance so that I wouldn't be completely alone. ("I will break your nose with this frying pan if you refuse!" Marth quotes Peach, when he tells me the story) They can't imagine what I've been through, and they're not naive or arrogant enough to even try to attempt to understand. They are simply there for me when I need them which I'm grateful for. I love them for that.

I skirt past Diddy and Metaknight who are still glowing from their win. The dim lighting makes it hard to pinpoint certain Smashers, but it's easy to spot their silhouettes due to their strange shapes. It takes me back to our match.

Am I strong or weak for doing what I did that night? I can't tell yet, but as time begins to wear on I become more convinced that it's the right decision, even if I'm not completely happy yet. These past two months have been a blur of emotions. Some of the best, and some of the very worst. But I think I'm finally approaching some kind of home, where I belong. It's been a long and tiring ride to get to the state of where I am now.

After all, I'm nothing more and nothing less than a survivor.

"What are you thinking?" Marth asks, his handsome head tilting to the side, trying to figure me out. His bangs slide a bit to the left, exposing his eyebrows slightly.

I look up to his cobalt blue eyes, trying to figure out what to say. I smooth my features over with a light laugh, easing in an expression that's the opposite of wounded, vulnerable and thoughtful. To my mild surprise it's not as hard as I think. "Nothing extraordinary, I can tell you that." The song ends and I let go of him. "I'm going to get something to drink. Any requests?"

"I'll never figure you out Aran, but I'm sure that every time you get that look in your eye, you're thinking something extraordinary," he says, shaking his head. He uses a slim hand to brush his bangs back in place. "Tell them to play better music. Something faster!"

I grin my acknowledgment before making my way down the dance floor. Link is whispering something into Zelda's delicately pointed ear which makes her blush shyly as she looks at him through her lashes. Her face splits into a wide grin as she gets up on tiptoes to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. I watch them for a moment, regret withering my smile away. I'm strong, but once in awhile when I witness this sort of thing I'm allowed to lean back a little into the darkness and chaos.

Because I once thought I knew a love like that for a very short time; pure, naive, free. But for me, love is never pure and free. It's something else entirely.

I look toward Peach and Mario who are no longer rated PG-13, but now seem to be in the middle of a heated argument. It's their first one of the day which is a vast improvement. At least Peach doesn't have her frying pan with her, though I'm sure the gold clutch that she brought along could leave a mark, if she uses it as a weapon.

I guess I knew a love as tumultuous as that as well.

"Watch it!" I've accidentally bumped into the brunette that I mistook for Zelda earlier. She turns away from her date, her bun a little askew because my shoulder has knocked into her up do. Even glaring at me she's gorgeous, with brilliant green eyes, freshly waxed eyebrows and dark red lips. Her perfume smells expensive.

"Sorry," I apologize nervously.

As I walk away I hear her complain, "Now my hair's ruined! I should probably let it down."

"Don't be stupid. A woman like yourself always looks better with their hair up."

Some things are unforgivable enough that you just can't get past it entirely. But if there's something I've learned from Falcon it's that violence is never the answer to closure.

Instantly mollified, she purrs, "If you say so, Captain. You always seem to know what to say to a girl."

But I need to stop living in the past.

My eyes flit to him for the briefest of seconds. We're both living different lives now, a side effect of shooting the patio door instead of him, when I realized that I didn't want my life tainted by blood anymore. But that doesn't mean that I can't look back from time to time at that face. That enigma.

He returns my gaze, only briefly, his eyes hooded, unreadable. "Not all of them," he responds.

And then the past is gone when he turns away. He's with his date and I'm...

...Well, I'm still on this journey of moving on. This ever present journey that I've discovered is my true home.

* * *

**END**

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed!**

**Originally, I was going to split this into two chapters to detail what happened right after Samus fired the gun, but I didn't have enough words to fit everything in, so I just skipped over to the epilogue which I felt was far more important. I dunno, I might make a part 2 if this is too ambiguous and unsatisfying of an ending to some. Especially since I know I left some plots open that I simply just couldn't fit in the conclusion (Like Samurai Goroh)**

**Lastly, I do not own anything Nintendo related, nor do I own the music that inspired my chapters' titles: Coldplay (A Warning Sign), Sweet (Ballroom Blitz), Adiemus (In Caelum Fero), Muse (Sunburn), and last but not least, the amazing Metric (Wanderlust).**

**Please place a review on your way out! **


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